Family
by Yuki Arashi Hitsugaya
Summary: The DiamondDust Rebellion storyline, just from Toshiro's point of view and his younger sister's Yuki. Yuki and her friends try to find him. Rated teen for some language. OC's paired with Ichigo, Byakuya, Hisagi, Kisuke, and Kenny. Please comment!
1. Feelings

Note: This fanfic follows more Toshiro's thoughts and OC's.

~Chapter One~

Boring patrol. Of course Squad Ten would get this guard mission because the Royal family wanted to move it. Toshiro stood below the massive cloud holding the Royal Family Guards moving the Ouin. Rangiku appeared next to him, reporting back from check-up duty.

"All stations are normal." She paused and looked up at the cloud. "Wow, it's even more amazing up close." Toshiro pulled from his thoughts and looked at the cloud.

"There's always a fanfare surrounding royalty." He sighed. She looked at him with a grin.

"Listen to you; you'll get in trouble for saying such things Captain." He closed his eyes in frustration.

"Yeah well you should…" He stopped in mid sentence to see a lightning bolt struck one of the shrines they were carrying.

"Rangiku, alert the squad!"

"Right!" Toshiro ignored the lightning and headed for a flame that had broken out in the out in the other shrine they were carrying. The fireball headed right for Toshiro, but he blocked it with his zanpaku-tou. A girl appeared from the fireball, unphased. He looked up at the short red haired girl with a, what seemed to him, like an Arrancar mask.

"Identify yourself." He said calmly. Her sword started freezing and her eyes widened. She did back flips away and started running, laughing, like this was a game to her. Toshiro followed her to the top of the burning shrine where he stopped. She had vanished into thin air. He looked around before looking down a large hole that had been made in the shrine. A thick spiritual pressure was released, when a blade quickly came out of the darkness and stabbed him in the stomach. He jumped back, letting the four inches of blade leave his stomach. A cloaked figure jumped out of the hole and stood on the opposite side.

"Who are you? I demand to know." Toshiro seem spaced out. The man wore a Hollow mask and just stood in silence. He drew his sword and charged at him. The man was quick and had excellent reflexes. Rangiku had showed up and was watching from below.

"Captain!" This was bad and he knew it. The man swung his sword and Toshiro blocked it. He flicked his long hair, before finally speaking.

"You haven't changed at all!"

"Show your face!" Toshiro yelled. He tried to reach for his mask, but grabbed his cloak.

"Stop!" He darted off and Toshiro knew he had to make the decision. He was ready to pursue, but Rangiku called out, "Captain!" He stopped and looked at the hole in the shrine again, before glancing at her. He knew what this would lead to, but he had to know. He darted off without looking back.

He caught up with the man quickly. Exchanging more blows and blocks, he knew he was getting nowhere fast. The man could read all of his moves like an open book, like he had studied him. The man flashed stepped back and disappeared into thin air like the girl had.

His energy had been depleted heavily and he couldn't go back. He hadn't realized how far he had traveled, so he wandered wearily for a while. His stomach wound was bleeding profusely and it was deeper than he thought. _Damn. At this rate the stealth force will find me._ He looked ahead to see a forest, the leaves gently floating in the cool breeze. _It must be mid fall, _he thought. He leaned against a tree and suppressed his spiritual pressure as best he could. His vision was starting to blur from the stress on his body. He noticed he was still holding on to the perpetrator's cloak. _I want to believe it, but don't. You can't still be alive, that would be impossible!_ He just had a feeling that he was right. It would be a nightmare revisited and it was trouble all around.

The hours passed and the stealth force had set a barrier up nearby to investigate the scene. Some people had gone by and talked. At this point, he couldn't tell who. He was so depleted and exhausted that it was hard to distinguish. The barrier vanished; they had finally left. He released his spiritual pressure and started walking. It had begun to snow, a gentle, soft feeling on his cold body. He walked and stopped a couple feet in front of the two people he couldn't make out. He wanted to ask if they had seen anyone suspicious, even with the knowledge he wouldn't get far. This was his problem though. He was here because of him and he was going to fix it. He wanted to move more, but his body gave in and collapsed. Someone yelled 'Toshiro', so it was someone who knew him. Before blacking out, he managed to mumble, "Kusa…ka…."

It overall had been a very boring day. Yuki had spent the day with Captain Ukitake, who hadn't been feeling well. Kaoru had wandered off and Yumikou was more likely than not, glorifying Captain Kenpachi. Aika was either yelling at her perverted brother Shunsui or hanging out with Hisagi. Toshiro said that Squad Ten was assigned a mission, so he was gone too. Around ten-o-clock, a hell butterfly came bearing the announcement of an emergency captain's meeting. She had a bad feeling of the subject; the stealth force had left a couple of hours ago and it seemed serious. Toshiro's spiritual pressure was feint and she was worried that something had happened.

"Hey, don't look so worried. I'm sure it's no big deal." Ukitake attempted to comfort her. She just couldn't shake this feeling.

He began to walk around, trying to calm her nerves. She managed to bump into Kaoru along the way.

"Hey. I was just coming back. I WAS going to hang out with Yumikou, but Yumichika said she was off chasing Kenpachi somewhere. So then I went to go find Byakuya, but he had to go to a Captain's meeting." Kaoru looked at her spaced out face.

"Hey, are you listening?!"

"Sorry. I'm just worried about Toshiro." Kaoru looked at her weird.

"Why? What happened?"

"Nothing that I know of, but, I can't shake this feeling." The girls decided to wait for Captain Ukitake back at Squad Thirteen's barracks.

It was about ten minutes before he returned with a furrowed brow.

"What?! What happened?" He sighed before sitting down.

"The Royal Family moved a sacred object called the Ouin. Squad Ten was assigned guard duty, but they were attacked. The Ouin was stolen and…"

"What?" Yuki asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

"Captain Hitsugaya abandoned his post and has been missing. We've been ordered to arrest him and bring him in to question him." Her thoughts were all scrambled up.

"What? You can't be serious. They can't think Toshiro had major involvement!" Yuki just blankly stared.

"Don't do anything reckless. Just obey orders." He said gently. Yuki stood and began walking out.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To alert the substitute soul reaper Ichigo Kurosaki." She started running towards the Squad Ten barracks.

"Where are you going?" Kaoru asked.

"Go tell Yumikou and Aika what has happened. I need to find him Kaoru."

"Figured." She mumbled and vanished.

Yuki quickly approached the barracks to find Rangiku there, looking very depressed.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, what happened?" Yuki asked in a hurry.

"Yuki, I'm sorry. I can't help you. I'm afraid I'm not really sure myself." There was a pause, before she spoke again.

"We're going to be confined here. In a matter of minutes, superiors will be here to make us give up our zanpaku-to's. If you're going to look for the Captain, I don't know where he is, but be careful. He had this look in his eyes. If anyone can find him, it's you." She nodded and quickly left. Her head was so clouded and confused, it all happened so fast. Yamamoto had opened the Senkaimon temporarily for anyone to pass through if they had a lead. Yuki left quickly, heading towards the Kurosaki residence.


	2. Please

~Chapter Two~

The Soul Reaper academy was bustling with students preparing for exams. Toshiro sat in the corner of the room, away from everyone else. Many talked about him, but none actually talked to him. Associating with people was not something he cared for. He gazed out the window while the class bustled. Sadly, he was waiting for something interesting to happen and that day he couldn't stay focused. That was the day the two met. A tall student with long black hair, with half of it pulled in a bun, approached him and sat on his table.

"You must be Toshiro Hitsugaya, the boy genius that everyone's been talking about. He looked up at him, who was smiling and holding his hand out.

"Who're you?" He asked. The scene changed to the two of them practicing sword fighting.

"I plan to become a soul reaper and devoting my life to the Soul Society." They were just blurbs of him talking. The scene changed again to test day where he was checking the scores. Toshiro walked up to him.

"Wow, look at that score! You really are a genius!"

"Well, I don't know about _that_."

"Still I'm not gonna let you beat me next time." It showed Toshiro and the man slaying dummy enemies together, smiling.

"Toshiro, you and I. We're friends, right?" The images turned sour. The stealth force was surrounding him and he was bleeding along his side. Toshiro was screaming something, but there was no sound. His friend's zanpaku-tou disappeared and his eyes reflected confusion.

His eyes flashed open and he realized it was just a dream; a dream of the past. He was breathing a little heavy as his blurry vision came slowly to focus on the dark ceiling. He propped himself up in the warm bed, holding his stomach in pain.

"Where am I?" He asked quietly to himself. The door opened and light flooded in and an orange-haired teen walked in.

"Hey."

"Ichigo?" He was shocked because really hadn't interacted with the substitute soul reaper. "Where am I?"

"My house. I found you unconscious on the side of the road, didn't think I should just leave you there." He walked to the desk next to the bed and pulled the chair out and sat. Toshiro looked forward at the wall, avoiding eye contact.

"I see. I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble." He gripped his stomach, feeling the lines of the bandages. He could feel Ichigo's serious stare.

"Do you realize that you've got the entire stealth force out looking for you?" He wanted answers, but he wasn't going to get people unnecessarily involved in this mess.

"I figured." He stated calmly. Ichigo paused.

"I figured?! Is that all you can say?!" He held himself back from more yelling and calmed himself. "Why is the stealth force looking for you anyway?" There was silence. "You at least owe me that much!" He was frustrated, more than anything.

"This doesn't concern you, so forget it." Toshiro wished that it were as easy as saying it, but he knew Ichigo's personality. His eye started twitching and he calmed himself again.

"Fine, it's not like I care!" Toshiro ignored the comment.

"I'll get it back. A treasured artifact called the Ouin was stolen from the royal family. It's far too complicated for a substitute soul reaper like you to understand." Ichigo sat there, taking in what he had just said. He stood up in fury over Toshiro with his eye twitching.

"I can't believe what an obnoxious little snot you are!" He was ready to rant more at him, but he winced; at that moment, his wound had reopened and seared with pain. He tried to hold it in, but he noticed. "Hey, you alright?"

"It's nothing really. If I could just get some rest, I'll be fine." He laid down with his back turned to Ichigo.

"Alright, whatever. I'll call Orihime in the morning, so just sleep here till then." He exited the room, muttering to himself. Toshiro laid in the silence, in pain, hoping to at least get some sleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Running through the Senkaimon seemed longer than it should. At this point, everything seemed longer than it should. She just wanted to have that reassurance that he was alive at least, know that everything was going to be okay. When it came to her older brother, Yuki could be sappy and emotional. After Aizen's rebellion and seeing Kaoru and Mikazuki lose their brothers, it only worsened. She was horribly clingy to him, but didn't show it. He was the only family she had, so she wasn't going to lose him. Finally reaching the world of the living, she dashed down the street. She recognized it as not being too far from Ichigo's house. Approaching his house, she popped into her gigai and caught her breath. Her lungs were burning from the nonstop running, but none of that mattered. She was ready to knock on the door, but looked to see the light barely filling the sky. _That would be rude; I wouldn't want to wake them up._ She walked back into the street, ready to search around, when she glanced up at Ichigo's window. A cloaked figure leaped from the window and stumbled as he landed in the quiet street. His hair gave it away, but she could feel his spiritual pressure even though he was suppressing it. His back was turned, but she knew that he was aware of her presence.

"Toshiro?" She almost choked on his name. _He's alive, thank goodness!_ His head turned slightly at the sound of her voice. She could feel the tears welling up as she wiped them away in frustration at her weakness. He now fully turned around to face her, with a guilty expression on his face. She could tell he was hoping that she wouldn't find him.

"Yuki, I'm sorry for all this, but please, head back to the Soul Society." He was begging her, but she could be just as stubborn as him.

"Are you out of your mind?! I just found you and you're telling me to just walk away? I can't do that!" She was shaking her head in defiance. He was ready to retort when a hand came on Yuki's shoulder. She turned to see Ichigo in shinigami form, who was looking at Toshiro with a serious look on his face.

"There's no need to sneak around. If you needed to leave, you could've used the front door like a man. Here you are, sulking around in the shadows like you're ashamed of something." Yuki was catching on to the fact that Toshiro must've been staying here, but she didn't understand why. Something had happened and it was bothering Ichigo.

"Thank you for all your help. I appreciate it." He said calmly, but sincerely. She looked up at Ichigo to see that's not what he was looking for, though it was abnormal for the two to be acting so calm towards each other.

"What is it that's bugging you so much? Tell me, why do you have to go this alone?" Toshiro's face still remained blank.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He didn't want either of them involved in this. Yuki could tell he was done talking about it and ready to walk away and apparently Ichigo had caught on to it to.

"Does this have anything to do with Kusaka?" Toshiro's eyes widened and so did Yuki's. The name rung in her head like a forgotten memory. _How does he know that name? _Toshiro wondered, but his question was quickly answered. "Who is he? Oh, let me guess, he's the one who attacked you and stole this Ouin thing." Toshiro's face went blank again with the comfort that he was clueless. Yuki stood in silence, looking at Toshiro with a mixed expression of sadness and frustration.

"He was someone who was killed a long time ago." He started walking past the two, ending the conversation. Yuki wasn't satisfied with the half-answers provided, nor was Ichigo. He reached for Toshiro's shoulder to stop him.

"Toshiro wait!" Toshiro drew his sword and swung at Ichigo. Yuki hobbled to the side to dodge and Ichigo leaped backwards.

"What the hell's the matter with you?! You could've hit Yuki!"

"Do not interfere!" Pointing his sword at Ichigo, he glanced at Yuki for the first time since Ichigo had shown up. Her face was blotchy from her crying and she carried a look of confusion and horror. He looked at her with pleading eyes, trying to convey the message to stay away from him, but she ignored it. She was looking at his stomach, which was bleeding heavily and the bandages were removed. He was breathing heavily; the more he moved around, the worse his wound got. The muscles were tearing apart from each movement and he got close to little sleep.

"You're hurt! Why are you being so stubborn?! Why won't you let me help you?!" She was pissed at this point and just wanted him to say the reason, the illogical reason why he was keeping her in the dark. Ichigo sighed and held up two fingers as Toshiro looked back at him.

"Alright, you've got two choices: turn yourself into the stealth force or come back to my house." His face remained expressionless as he contemplated his next move. Sure, the smart thing to do would be to go back to Ichigo's house, but he was wasting too much time here. Suddenly, a giant fireball shot in-between Ichigo, Yuki and Toshiro. Yuki grabbed Toshiro's arm, to make sure he was still there and wasn't going to do anything reckless. Two girls appeared in the sky above them, one was in red and had red hair and the other looked exactly like her, except everything was blue.

"If you're smart, you'll hand over Toshiro Hitsugaya now." The red one Toshiro recognized as the one that he fought during the shrine attack. He was ready to charge, but Yuki kept a firm grip on his arm.

"Toshiro, we have no intention of handing you over or letting you fight. Let us help." She wasn't asking, she was telling him, but he didn't want her to get hurt or dragged into a mess that had followed him. The flame that separated Ichigo from them died down and he looked across.

"Toshiro!" He glanced at Ichigo and shook her hand off him. He leaped over the remaining fire and attacked Ichigo. He drew Zangetsu to block the blow, but he was managing to push him back with pure force. "What the hell?!" Toshiro's expression changed to a strange, mixed emotion look.

"Please." He said quietly. He then stopped pushing and knocked Ichigo into a basketball court. The red girl appeared in the sky above him and shot a fireball down on Ichigo. The blue girl appeared and pulled out a blue electric whip and whipped down into the dust cloud where Ichigo was. The blue girl tried pulling her whip back, but it was stuck on something. The dust settled and Yuki stood in front of Ichigo in shinigami form. She had released her sword to shikai, which had three prongs, the middle one thinner than the rest. The whip was wrapped around her sword and Yuki glared at the twins. Toshiro stood just outside the court, watching in shock. Ichigo walked up behind her, his forehead dripping with blood and going into his eye.

"How did she get over there so fast?!" the blue one asked, dumbfounded.

"And how is he still standing?!" the red one asked in the same tone. The whip started freezing quickly to the blue girl's hand as she snapped it free to break the ice. Yuki was ready to charge, pissed off about everything that had happened. They were easy targets to take her anger off on, but Ichigo put his hand on her shoulder and walked in front of her. The girls sent a combo attack flying at them, but Ichigo was calm.

"Getsuga Tensho!" He yelled, sending a blue wave of energy through the attack, then another one to counter. Toshiro stood in shock. Why were they fighting his fight? There were here for him after all, they didn't need to struggle. The girls dodged the attack and then vanished.

"Stop!" Toshiro yelled, ready to pursue.

"No, Toshiro!" Yuki started running towards him. Ichigo fell to one knee, his vision blurring.

"Yuki, Toshiro, I can't see you, wait…" and he passed out. Yuki looked down at Ichigo with concern, and then looked back at Toshiro. Toshiro vanished and Yuki looked at Ichigo.

"I'm sorry." With that, she took off in the direction of Toshiro.


	3. Memories

**Note: Sorry this took so long!! Hope you all enjoy it! Big fight scene next chapter, so sorry Nurse Aika….**

~Chapter Three~

She was following him easily, though he was moving at surprising speed for his current state.

"Toshiro!" She was sad, yet furious at everything that had happened. Toshiro kept going, showing no sign of stopping, though he was stumbling every now and then.

"Who's Kusaka? I know that name, but _why_ do I know that name?" Toshiro finally stopped and starred ahead. He was hoping that she wouldn't ask, that she had never gotten involved. He knew her all too well, and they were very much alike. She wanted an answer and why shouldn't she?

"This goes back all the way to my Academy years…"

_____________________________*Flashback*________________________________

The house was all too quiet that summer day. Momo had come by to visit, but had already left Yuki to sit alone and practice the new Kido she had taught her. For hours, she would practice, just to pass the time. She was waiting for Toshiro to come home. Finally, she heard footsteps coming to the house, and laughter. Little Yuki came running to the front, ready to greet him with open arms.

"SHIRO-CHANNNNNNN!!!!!" Toshiro paled and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Where did you hear that?!"

"Hinamori-chan told me it! She said it was your favorite nickname!" Toshiro's eye twitched at the mention of Hinamori's name.

"It figures….Well, it's Toshiro!!!" Yuki smiled, but then she heard a giggle come from behind Toshiro. She hadn't noticed the man standing behind her brother.

"Hello." He said in an over-friendly tone, talking to her like she was a little kid. Toshiro's face lit up at the sound of his voice, realizing who was with him.

"Right, Yuki this is Kusaka, my friend. Kusaka, my younger sister by two years, Yuki." He smiled again at her. He seemed friendly enough and Toshiro seemed happy to have a friend.

On several other days, Kusaka came to visit with Toshiro, but the visits all together stopped one day.

"Toshiro, where's Kusaka? He promised to teach me a super secret Kido." Sadness filled his eyes and he walked off without answering. He never answered and Yuki never brought it up again.

_____________________________*End of Flashback*___________________________

Toshiro kept starring off, realizing that Yuki still remembered who Kusaka was.

"It…it's my fault that all this is happening. I'm sorry Yuki, but I can't let you get involved." Yuki sighed.

"I'm here because I want to be here. You're the only big brother I have and if you'd just let others help, it wouldn't be so bad. Besides, they were probably going to confine me anyway because they saw this coming." She was smiling for the first time since she had found Toshiro. He, surprisingly, smiled back as Toshiro led the way in silence.

* * *

"What a useless piece of crap!! What does she even see in him?!?!" A voice yelled as his hearing and vision came slowly into focus.

"Well, what else can we try?" Another voice asked.

"I dunno. He's out cold." A petite girl pitched in.

"How about this!!" The first girl yelled as he felt a shoe come into contact with his head. Ichigo shot up, holding his head in pain.

"Kaoru, I don't think we were supposed to cause him more pain…" a brown-haired girl mumbled, strangely resembling Aizen.

"Mikazuki, who cares? We woke him up, right?" Ichigo could feel blood running down the side of his head.

"W…WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?!?" Kaoru's face got serious and she held him by his collar.

"Whadda think?! My best friend and her brother are missing and all you're doing is lying in the street!!!!" Ichigo looked down, remembering what had happened. Her spiritual pressure still slightly lingered and the remnants of the fight were clearly evident. Kaoru threw him away from herself and started walking away.

"Kaoru!" Mikazuki yelled, but the short black-haired girl held her back.

"Let her vent, she gets like this…"

"Alright Yumikou, I'm just worried what she'll take that anger out on." The petite girl focused back on Ichigo.

"Tell us everything you know!! We have to find them!" Ichigo held his head and brought them inside.

Kaoru had returned and said nothing, only awaiting an explanation. Ichigo held out Toshiro's haori with a sad glance. The petite girl, Aika, came and grabbed it.

"There's blood…why would he leave this here?" Yumikou came next to her and grabbed a corner of it.

"Because, he's giving up his rank as Captain. He doesn't think he's coming back alive…" There was a silence before Kaoru spoke up.

"So why the hell did you let him go!?"

"Hey, how do you think I ended up in the street?! I tried to stop him, but these two girls attacked us."

"Two girls?" Mikazuki asked.

"Yeah, it looked like they were either Vizards or Arrancars, I couldn't tell for sure."Kaoru grabbed the haori.

"Did he talk about anything while he was here? Can you remember anything he said?"

"Yeah, he said something about getting the Ouin back." He paused and rubbed his head, which was probably good and sore from Kaoru's kick.

"Oh, yeah, he mentioned this guy, Kusaka." The three girls head's perked up.

"Kusaka?" Mikazuki asked.

"When I asked him, he said he was someone who had been killed. He got this weird look in his eyes…" He trailed off in thought. He thought about everything that had happened, and Yuki. More than anything, he was mad at himself for not being able to help either of them. Kaoru had now turned to Yumikou, giving her the haori.

"Yumikou, can you go find out everything you can about this Kusaka guy?" She nodded, but hesitated. She knew that she was asking her to tell Rangiku about their findings. Since she was a Lieutenant, they would probably let her in.

"This isn't gonna be pretty." Aika chirped up.

"I'll come too, so you don't have to do it by yourself." She nodded and the two girls took their leave.

* * *

All their eyes were looking down at him, making him feel so small. They were seated above him in a ring, surrounding him.

"There is no need for two soul reapers." The voice was booming, yet still crisp, like it was happening all over again.

"We must decide." The authority was pushed upon him, shoved down his throat.

"A choice must be made." No, it wasn't fair! Who are they to make this choice!

"Only one soul reaper, one rightful owner." He wouldn't do it! He finally spoke up, somewhat yelling.

"Then let me abandon Hyourinmaru and end this!" Was it really so much to ask?

"It is not your choice." The authority had come back to consume him.

"Do not question us."

"The decision of Central 46 is indisputable and absolute." This couldn't be happening.

"No…" His voice was drowning out.

"You must obey." No! He couldn't do this! Flashes of Kusaka dying in front of him came back, just like that day. He was bleeding all down his left side and he was reaching out to Toshiro. He was saying something, but no sound came out. His zanpaku-tou vanished.

"Kusaka is my friend!" His voice was fading even more. Toshiro's eyes flashed open, back to reality. His eyes adjusted to his settings, which was an abandoned warehouse. The holes in the walls and roof let in the seeping cold and caused him to shiver. He had lost so much energy and it was taking its toll. The blood flow from his stomach had stopped and he remembered what had happened. He looked over to see Yuki sleeping in an upright position. He didn't get much sleep himself, and had observed that she had stayed up most of the night, probably to make sure he stayed. He tried to stand up, but collapsed almost instantly. Yuki's eyes flashed open and she rushed over to him.

"Toshiro, you should really try to rest a bit more." She knew they couldn't, but it was worth a shot.

"No, we have to keep moving." He huffed as he propped himself up. Yuki tried to help him, but he refused to let her help. She realized that it was only midday, yet it felt like days had gone by. She had a dream about everyone, how she had left, and especially Ichigo. His face looking up at her as she left him lying in the street had been haunting her, but it wasn't the time to be worrying about it. She silently followed Toshiro as they pressed on.

* * *

"So, how is Hitsugaya?" The cloaked figure asked the two girls as he looked at the Soul Society.

"He's made no attempt to contact the 13 Court Guard Squads." The blue one stated, in a kneeling position.

"Would you like us to capture him before they take him into custody?" The red one asked, also in a kneeling position. There was a short pause as he thought.

"No, I want to see how it all plays out. As long as we wield the same zanpaku-tou, there's no place for him here. He has no choice but to submit to my will."


	4. Findings

**Note: Sorry Aika, I lied. It's the next chapter…I'm sorry!!! I forgot about all these scenes!**

~Chapter Four~

"I don't know much, in honest, about Toshiro's or Yuki's pasts. Gin and I entered way before they were ever students." Kaoru stated as they sat in Urahara-shoten.

"Neither do I," Mikazuki said. "I didn't spend much time in the Soul Society, I left with Kisuke, and that was way before them too." The sat in silence around the table and Aika and Yumikou hadn't returned from reporting to Rangiku.

"Wait, I know Momo Hinamori, that girl that always cries a bunch, Lieutenant of Squad Five, she grew up with Yuki and Toshiro. She might know something."

"I asked Yumikou to try and talk to her, but she's in the hospital and the only thing she said was that he didn't like to talk about his past, even to Yuki." Mikazuki quickly answered. Kisuke finally spoke up.

"Yeah, especially if it's something painful." Kaoru looked over at him in confirmation.

"That just the type of person he is, I guess." They sat in a short silence, nodding, knowing it was the truth. Ichigo was pissed.

"He really ticks me off!! For a captain, he's not very strong, because if he had any strength, he would hurt the people that cared about him!!" Yuki came to his mind as he said it. He wanted to find the both of them and help, but he was just sitting here, pointlessly drinking tea in comfort. Kisuke obviously picked up on Ichigo's frustration as he stood up.

"Well, you guys aren't doing any good here. Why don't you go look for him?"

* * *

The guards blocked their path as they approached the gate.

"Can we go see Lieutenant Matsumoto please?" The guard kept a stern face.

"No one is allowed access to her at this time." Aika stomped up.

"That's not very nice, especially since she's a Lieutenant, you blockheads!" A large, fat, ugly man came forward.

"My orders come directly from my captain, Soi Fong, and Head Captain. No one is allowed to visit!!"

"You oversized fat stupid excuse for a soul reaper!!!" She was ready to rant more, but a voice came from behind her and Yumikou.

"Aika, you really shouldn't talk to people like that, and you really don't need to shout." Aika paled. She knew that voice; it was Shunsui Kyoraku, her older brother. He walked over with Nanao nonchalantly

"How about if I go in there with them? That should be alright, unless you don't trust the captain of Squad Eight?" The Lieutenant gave a guilty expression as he let them pass. Aika walked in with folded arms.

"Why are you being so nice?"

"Why wouldn't I?" She didn't buy it as they walked in to the courtyard. They came to Rangiku and Yumikou began to tell her what they had found out.

"Kusaka? No, I've never heard him mention that name before." Yumikou sighed.

"Well, thanks anyway." Rangiku starred off into the courtyard.

"I'm his Lieutenant, and you'd think I'd know more about the captain, but I don't." She trailed off, deep in thought. Nanao interjected everyone's silence.

"So that leaves us with two mysteries to solve. First, how are Captain Hitsugaya and Yuki connected to this man, Kusaka? Who is he, and does he have anything to do with the theft of the Ouin?" Shunsui was spinning his hat on his lap, listening to the conversation before adding to Nanao's questions.

"And what if they're all connected?" Rangiku looked over at him.

"We know so little." Yumikou pitched in.

"We'll have to start digging." Aika looked at her quizzically.

"Where do we start though?"

"Probably looking through all the old records of when he was in the Academy. We can look through his classmates and go from there." Aika heard a giggle from Shunsui.

"W..What?!"

"Why nothing." He said as he put his hat back on. "You're all right; I knew I'd just have to leave it to you guys to figure it out, right?" Nanao looked over at him questioningly.

"Please help us Nanao." Rangiku asked.

"What?" She looked flustered.

"Yeah, we need your help on this." Yumikou pitched in and Shunsui smiled.

"I'll drink to that!" Nanao put her hands on her hips.

"I'm sure that you want to help Rangiku more than anyone, so you'll be joining us, right?"

"Eh, me?" He asked, pointed to himself.

"Yes captain." The frustration was showing in her face. Rangiku laughed at the sight, causing everyone to feel light-hearted, if only for a moment. Yumikou held up the package up, remembering the other reason why they had come.

"There's also this." She gave it to Rangiku as they went inside her current living quarters. She unwrapped the cloth to find Toshiro's haori. Yumikou broke the sad silence.

"Ichigo said he left it at his house, so we figured that you should have it." She grabbed a piece of it, blood-stained.

"He's hurt!" Aika sighed.

"According to Ichigo, he was hurt pretty bad." Frustration came across her face.

"Why did he just disappear, and why leave this behind?!" She paused to compose herself. "I don't know if I should be glad that he's alive, or upset that he left his haori behind." Shunsui spoke up.

"What a mess. Those two must know that we're all worried about them. I wonder what they're up to."

* * *

There was blackness all around him as his vision came to focus on Kusaka. It was an ice field, with shimmering mountains in the distance, reflecting the sunlight just right. The snowy white power flew up in a billowing cloud around him as an ice dragon descended in front of him. It sent ice spikes all around him as it looked down, flapping its blue crystal wings.

"I am Hyourinmaru. Child, do you think you are capable of mastering me?" Kusaka looked up confidently.

"I do! Obey me now, Hyourinmaru!!" The powder cloud engulfed him as he outstretched his arm. Small ice particles came together in his hand and broke to the shape of a sword. The snow powder settled as he exclaimed, "I did it! I did it!!" The scenery went to a cave and Toshiro got up. Kusaka looked over at him gladly.

"Toshiro? We both obtained the same power!" He ran over to him. "What a coincidence! This is incredible!" Toshiro woke up to find that he was lying in river stones. He had collapsed near a river for who knows how long. He slowly propped himself up and started looking around. Yuki was lying a few feet away. He then recalled that they had been going non-stop and must've collapsed from exhaustion, he couldn't recall. He crawled over to Yuki, who was peacefully sleeping and gently shook her shoulder.

"Yuki, we had to keep moving." Her eyes slowing opened as she sat up. She had dark shadows under her eyes and looked drained.

"How do you feel?" She asked urgently. Now that he thought about it, he felt a bit better. There wasn't as much strain on his body and it was easier for him to move.

"Fine…" She smiled and stumbled up as he realized what she had done. He felt his stomach to see that his wound was closed.

"Yuki…." He said quietly. She was sacrificing so much to help him do something she knew nothing about.

The two pressed on throughout the day. They passed from the bustling, unaware city to the rural farms and homes. Toshiro led and Yuki followed without question. She knew that he knew where they needed to go, that he wasn't just wandering randomly. The day dragged on as they roamed in the shadows.

* * *

Yumikou grabbed the last of the books that they would need from the bookshelf. She came and set the stack on the table where Nanao and Shunsui sat. Aika had fallen asleep hours ago while the others toiled away. There were papers scattered all around the table as the others flipped through the records quietly sipping tea. The library was quiet and was only lit right above their table.

"I searched through the last fifty years of the registry. There is no listing of a squad member named Kusaka."

"What about the Soul Reaper Academy? Did you go through those records?" Shunsui asked.

"Yes," Yumikou stated, now tuning in to the conversation. "And there are no records of a student with that name, but there's something unusual about the student registry for the year Captain Hitsugaya graduated." Nanao laid out some papers on the table and continued Yumikou's statement.

"It appears to be missing a name. The missing student is from somewhere in the North Rukon District."

"Did you check to see if there's anyone named Kusaka listed in that district?" He asked. Nanao grabbed an open book and pointed to a picture.

"There's one, right here. It's Soujiro Kusaka." Shunsui looks into the book right where she's pointing.

"So this is him." Yumikou glances over his shoulder.

"What? He's dead?!" Nanao calmly looked at him.

"He's not in the soul reaper directory. Do you think that it could've been some kind of mistake?" Yumikou looked at her doubtfully.

"No, those kind of mistakes don't happen, especially when someone's dead."

"Well, if nothing else, we've disproved the theory that Soujiro Kusaka had anything to do with the events that transpired."

"You can't list a person as dead until it's confirmed that their spiritual pressure has been extinguished." Shunsui thought aloud as he put his hands on his knees, still thinking. "So they guy must be dead, but…"

"But what? What is it?" Nanao asked eagerly. Shunsui stood and started walking away.

"I'm going for a walk. See if you ladies can find the cause of death." Nanao rose from her seat, confused.

"Huh? Captain!!" Shunsui looked behind to see if they had followed, which they thankfully hadn't. He started walking down the street, being constantly aware of his surroundings. One of the Vizard/Arrancar girls followed him from a distance, but was already plenty aware of her presence. He suddenly stopped and dashed to his right. He could hear the girl running towards where he had dashed from, but she never appeared.

"Huh?" Snow began to fall gently around him. He glanced forward to see a cloaked figure walk into view. He grabbed his sword's hand, ready to defend himself.

"Alright, who are you?" There was a silence before Shunsui spoke again. "You know, it's pretty rude not to introduce yourself." The cloaked figure began to speak, ignoring him.

"Shunsui Kyoraku. Your cavalier attitude serves to disguise your keen intellect and shrewd disposition. You have an exceptionally sharp mind that knows no equal, it's no wonder you were the first to figure it out." Shunsui smiled, but it quickly faded.

"I'll take that as a compliment and since you seem to already know about me, why don't you tell me about yourself?" The cloaked man flipped his cloak back to draw his sword.

"It would be just a waste of time, because you're about to be killed by Toshiro Hitsugaya!"


	5. Violence

**Note: Sorry Aika…..**

~Chapter Five~

As soon as his sword left its sheath, ice formed and quickly traveled the direction of Shunsui. His eyes grew wide with shock as he barely moved out of the way to dodge it. The ice impaled his cloak, which had flown off his shoulders from the force of the ice rushing by him. The ice crashed into the wall behind Shunsui as he stood back, his hand on his sword.

"That zanpaku-tou!" The cloaked man charged right at him, causing Shunsui to draw his sword. "Let's have a look at that face!" he said, slashing at the invader's mask. It dropped to the ground with a soft thud. The exposed man now faced him as Shunsui looked at him in shock. "You're..!"

* * *

The two had been wandering the shady forests for quite a few miles. The ominous moisture-filled clouds hid the moon, so the night seemed colder. Wearily stumbling about, Yuki and Toshiro came across a small shrine, abandoned. Quickly going in, they sat down to rest their tired bodies.

"Toshiro, can I ask you a question?" Yuki asks, half asleep.

"What?" He asked calmly.

"…When we were growing up, you never told me what happened to Kusaka…" Toshiro looked over at her in slight shock at the question. He remembered the day all too well, but he didn't expect her to remember it. Her eyes were barely open when a sudden spiritual pressure was released. Her eyes flashed open and looked at Toshiro, who was peaking outside through one of the small square gaps that went across the upper part of the wall. Soul reapers were quietly surrounding the small shrine that they were in. There were well over fifty of them, but those weren't the spiritual pressures that he was worried about.

"Damn." He stated quickly as he crouched back down so he was out of view. Yuki peeked through the gap too and then sat next to Toshiro.

"What do we do? If we take them on, it'll draw too much attention."

"I don't think we have much of a choice." Right after his words, a familiar voice announced with authority:

"Captain Hitsugaya and fourth seat of Squad Thirteen Yuki Hitsugaya, this is an executive order! You must return to the Soul Society immediately!" Toshiro headed for the door.

"Wait here." Yuki's face reflected defiance instantly.

"Toshiro, I healed you, but not completely! You can't take them all by yourself; don't be a fool!" He walked out the door, not discussing it. It was his fault for all of this. The least he owed her was to make sure that they would be safe for a little while longer. Outside, Shuuhei Hisagi and Izuru Kira stood in front of the soul reapers. They tensed as Toshiro stepped out of the shrine.

"I have no intention of doing that." He stated coldly, putting his hand on his sword. Shuuhei and Izuru mimicked his actions as he charged at the two. He landed right on Shuuhei's blade, which he had barely drawn. Pushing down, Izuru planted his blade on top of Toshiro's. Toshiro was starting to feel the toll of the strain that he had put on his body over the course of the last couple of days as he began to breathe heavily. Yuki peeked through the squares, watching her brother fight. The sad part was the fact that she knew the thoughts and reasons behind him doing this. She glanced to see the other soul reapers starting to finally react to the situation. She quickly ran outside and drew her sword.

"Don't do this; you'll both be accused of treason!" Izuru pleaded to Toshiro, who glared back at him.

"Back off Izuru!" He turned his icy stare to Shuuhei. "You too!" Shuuhei kept a calm face as he looked down at the captain.

"Sorry, I've been given orders to take you and your sister into custody." Toshiro's face started reflecting anger as his cold eyes looked right into Shuuhei's.

"Then you'll die." Shuuhei's eyes widened with shock from hearing the words. Toshiro landed a solid kick right into Shuuhei's gut as he stumbled back. Using an upward slashing motion, he flung Izuru's sword out of his hands. Shuuhei quickly recovered and swung his sword at the captain. Toshiro's blade made contact with his and he sent the lieutenant flying backwards. Dust rose up from the force as the other soul reapers began charging. Yuki charged, slashing at anyone and everyone. Lunging at her, she quickly flashed stepped in-between them, slicing them in the sides. Toshiro turned to look at her, acknowledging what she was doing. She smiled and then quickly returned to fighting. Toshiro turned back to where Shuuhei was to see that he had recovered and was standing on top of the wooden arch that showed a path that lead to the entrance of the shrine. He quickly held his hands in front of him forming a triangle.

"Bakudo 62: Rukujyoukourou!" Toshiro's eyes widened, but he quickly deflected Izuru's blow coming from his side. Yuki turned her attention to Shuuhei, very well knowing what kido he was using. She flashed stepped next to Toshiro to kill a soul reaper who had charged at him. Shuuhei threw the glowing bar that had formed in his hand and in mid air, it instantly split into many more. Toshiro pushed Yuki off to the side as he started flash stepping, trying to avoid the bars. She fell to the ground, and a soul reaper came to strike her in the head. She leaped up and slashed him across the stomach, landing behind his body. Seeing the glowing bars lining the path, she saw Toshiro flash stepping, avoiding them all. She smiled, but it quickly faded. A bar impaled him right into his left shoulder. He stumbled forward as the last bars fell around him. Holding himself up with a well that was just outside the entrance to the shrine, he slowly turned his body.

"Toshiro!" Yuki yelled, flash stepping right next to him. He stabbed his sword into the ground as she dropped hers. Grabbing the bar, she quickly pulled it out, seeing the blood freshly run down his shoulder. He instantly started breathing heavier as he grabbed his sword again. Yuki picked up her sword and stood in front of Toshiro. Izuru looked at the scene with pleading eyes.

"Please don't resist any further." Yuki pointed her sword at the group; her blue eyes started turning teal as they glittered with rage. Her voice quietly muttered:

"Bankai."

* * *

Patrolling the streets, Kaoru's head perked up at the sudden release of spiritual pressure. Mikazuki, Ichigo, Aika, and Yumikou all ran to Kaoru, feeling the same thing.

"It's Yuki!"

* * *

Everyone was quiet as Captain Unohana leaned in, listening to his breathing. She looked at her subordinates in the room with an alarmed expression.

"Set up a purification barrier! Let's get him prepped! We'll have to operate immediately!" Everyone began scrambling, preparing for surgery. Nanao sat on her knees outside the door, crying at what had befallen her captain. Plus, his sister, Aika, hadn't been told of the events that transpired. Ukitake approached, knowing that she felt guilty over what had happened.

"You're not responsible." She looked over at him and wiped away as many tears as she could.

"Captain Ukitake." Her voice was still a little shaky.

"You know how strong Shunsui is. He must've been caught completely by surprise or he was overpowered by someone much stronger. Correct?" She looked at him, knowing what he said was true.

"Still…" He slightly smiled, trying to comfort her.

"I'll say it again, you're not responsible." He put his hand on her shoulder, to reassure her. "Squad Six is investigating the scene right now. They'll find who is responsible and capture them."

The ice glittered as the remnants of the fight still lingered. Renji leaned over and picked up a piece of Shunsui's haori, which crumbled in his hand. Byakuya approached a chunk of ice that protruded from the crumbling wall.

"There's no doubt about it, it was Hyourinmaru."

A messenger came running up the hospital hallway, where Ukitake stood.

"They're sure? Hyourinmaru?" Nanao's eyes widened.

"It was Captain Hitsugaya?" Ukitake looked seriously at the messenger.

"I take it that's not the only news you've brought." The messenger sat in front of Ukitake.

"Sir, Squad Three's Lieutenant Kira and Shuuhei Hisagi, acting captain of Squad Nine, tracked down Captain Hitsugaya and his sister, fourth seat of Squad Thirteen, Yuki Hitsugaya in the world of the living." Ukitake interrupted the man.

"Yuki?!" He sighed at her rash decision to go with her brother.

"Yes, they were badly wounded trying to arrest them"

* * *

The scene was barren and frozen as tiny crystals flaked off and glittered in any light that shone through the trees. Shuuhei and all the others lay on the ground, badly injured. Aika ran to him, holding back the tears forming in her eyes.

"Shuuhei! What happened?!" She sat next to him, afraid to touch him.

"We…we tried to arrest them, but…they…resisted…" Squad Four members picked him up and carried him off. A member came up to her, looking grim.

"Sixth seat of Squad Thirteen, Aika Kyoraku?" She wiped away a tear that fell from her eye.

"Yes?"

"I have a message for you from Captain Unohana. Shunsui Kyoraku has been badly injured and is currently in surgery. His recovery looks promising, but we have evidence that it was Hyourinmaru that did this." Her heart fell into a bottomless abyss.

"Why…? Why is this happening…" At the bottom of the stairs, the group conjugated, shocked at what they just seen. Mikazuki looked at Kaoru.

"They were able to defeat all of them?" Aika glanced at her, still in shock.

"Why would they attack their allies?!" Kaoru rubbed her head furiously.

"Plus, this was Yuki's work, I know her Bankai."

"Can't we track their spiritual pressure or something?!" Ichigo asked. Yumikou piped up.

"No, they've suppressed it again and I'm sure they're far away from here by now…" Ichigo looked up at the clouds.

"We should go get some sleep and see what we come up with in the morning." Kaoru looked at him dumbfounded.

"No! We should keep looking since we've gotten at least some new info."

"And go where? Ichigo's right and we're all worried about them." Mikazuki stated. Kaoru sighed and gave in as they headed home.

* * *

The captains stood silently as they waited for Yamamoto's verdict.

"We have evidence that the Hitsugayas are guilty of treason. I am upgrading the priority of their captures to an execution order." Unohana's soft voice came up.

"I beg your pardon sir, but do you really think the situation calls for such extreme measures?"

"It has been decided! The search for the Ouin shall proceed uninterrupted. However, the search of the Hitsugayas will be our top priority, by any means necessary! Execute them!"


	6. Hurt

**Note: Oh my goodness! I have not updated in a while! I'm so sorry! **

~Chapter Six~

Ichigo's arm groggily reached for his now beeping alarm clock as he awoke in his purple jeans and blue shirt. Not finding the button, he grabbed it and sat up in his bed, glad that the noise had stopped. Glancing around his room, he heard another beeping sound, like a cell phone. Slowly approaching his window, he glanced out it. A knee came flying into his chin, sending him backwards and causing him to fall off of his bed.

"W-What the hell?" Easily landing behind him and already out of her gigai, Kaoru turned around, glancing. Looking down, she saw him crumpled on the floor as she held her phone to her ear. Before he could protest her barging into his room, she spoke.

"What the hell what? Get yur ass up; you're not gonna like this. It's Yumikou; they've ordered an execution." She stated as he sat up on his bed, rubbing his chin.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, looking tired and clueless.

"Baka! What do you think it means? It means that they have orders to execute Toshiro and Yuki on sight!" Ichigo's eyes widened as he stood up and grabbed her shoulders.

"What? You've got to be kidding me! Why would they do something like that?" Kaoru looked already pissed from the phone call, reminding her of the gravity of the situation.

"There was no time for anyone to argue the decision and the order can't be revoked." She said, deathly serious. Stunning Ichigo, he thought of Yuki and Toshiro being killed, but shook it out of his head.

"That's crazy…." He mumbled as he sat back on his bed.

"Hey! You better not have hung up on me!" Yumikou yelled through Kaoru's phone loud enough for Ichigo to hear, causing Kaoru to hold the phone away from her ear.

"No, I didn't…." Kaoru mumbled. Putting it on speaker phone so she would have to explain anything else to Ichigo, Yumikou continued.

"We found out who Kusaka is! His name is Soujiro Kusaka. He was in Captain Toshiro's graduating year and was his and Yuki's classmate. According to the records, he died shortly before his class graduated!" Looking away from the phone, she saw a giant fireball fly towards Ichigo's bed. Sensing it as well, he jumped off of his bed in time to avoid the debris from hitting him; he grabbed his soul reaper badge and separated from his body. Leaping out of the newly formed hole in his room, Kaoru and Ichigo glanced to see the two girls Ichigo had fought earlier.

"So it's you again!" Kaoru looked at the two girls, already connecting the pieces.

"We told you before,"

"If you got in our way, we'd kill you." The blue one stated, finishing her twins sentence. Already sensing his presence, Kaoru looked over at Ichigo's side to see a man approaching. Wearing the familiar mask and cloak, he stood a couple feet away.

"Soul reapers." He said with disgust. Ichigo turned to face him.

"Who are you?"

"Ichigo, don't go in headfirst, alright? He's not weak." The man laughed as he drew his sword. Instantly recognizing it, Kaoru connected the dots. "It's Hyourinmaru!"

Ukitake stood over Shunsui, who was out of surgery. Aika sat quietly next to him while Nanao stood next to Ukitake, looking at Byakuya.

"It's usually the opposite, right old friend? Seems like I'm always the one lying there, visitors around my bed….I'm sorry." Aika looked up at Ukitake.

"Yeah you big jerk….you made me cry." Placing a comforting hand on Aika's shoulder, Ukitake smiled. Standing up, she excused herself.

"Where are you going?" Nanao asked.

"I have to check on my Shuu-boo! Shunsui isn't awake to stop me, so at least there's an upside to all of this." She said as she skipped away. Nanao held back her laughter at hearing her fellow lieutenant be called "Shuu-boo." Byakuya's face remained stoic as he looked over Shunsui.

"There's something about this that bothers me. Forensics was able to determine the time of the Hyourinmaru attack. We also know when the search party encountered the Hitsugayas." Ukitake looked at him with eager eyes. "The time between the attacks was insufficient to travel between the two worlds. If Hyourinmaru really was the weapon used in the two attacks…"

The masked man poised his sword, preparing to attack.

"Rain over the frosted heavens, Hyourinmaru!" The familiar ice dragon lunged from his sword just as the red girl lunged at Kaoru. Blocking her attack, she persistently attacked, not letting up. The blue one lunged for Ichigo, but he easily deflected her attack and sent her flying back. Ready to lunge, a chain flew around his wrist, immobilizing him. The purple-tinted Hyourinmaru roared towards him just as he flashed step above it. The masked man pulled on the chain, causing Ichigo to stumble out of his flash step.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked as he felt himself being pulled towards the man.

"Because, I am the master of Hyourinmaru!" Bringing his blade down onto Zangetsu, images flashed through his head, causing him to pause. They were just quick flashes, of these two kids, one with white hair, like Toshiro.

"_Wait, what the hell?" _Ichigo thought. Kicking the girl in the gut, she glanced over to see Ichigo.

"What does he think he's doing?"

"Did you just say twin zanpaku-tou?" Kurotsuchi asked, giving Ukitake and Byakuya a curious glance. "A zanpaku-tou is born directly from the consciousness of a soul reaper. To begin with, the shikai is like a binding contract between the soul reaper and the zanpaku-tou itself. It is impossible for it to be tied to more than one soul reaper at a time! By definition, it wouldn't be a zanpaku-tou!"

"So you can verify that something like that doesn't exist? Can you absolutely prove that there are not two Hyourinmaru?" Ukitake asked.

"Hyourinmaru?" Kurotsuchi asked, enunciating every syllable, like he was deep in thought.

"If somehow there were two, then one of the owners would have to be…" Kurotsuchi immediately interrupted.

"Of course he would! Now I understand why you are here! You've definitely come to the right place gentleman!" He exclaimed, getting a glint in his eyes as he turned to his computer. "Sneaking into the inner recesses of the Di-Ratio Archive is child's play for me!" Quickly typing, they could hear the files moving in the storeroom as the information was being sent to the computer.

Sending the blue Arrancar-like girl flying back, again, Kaoru took advantage of it and attacked her from behind. Looking behind himself, Ichigo saw the masked man charging at him. The red twin attempted to dive into him, but he flash-stepped out of the way just in time. Appearing on a nearby power grid tower, the masked man looked directly at him.

"Who are you? Answer me!"

"My name is Soujiro Kusaka! The man who was forced to fight in the Central 46 chamber! The man who was murdered by Toshiro Hitsugaya!" Ichigo's eyes widened at the statement, stunned at what he had just said. _There is no way that Toshiro would murder somebody! Sure, he gets really defensive about Yuki, but to murder somebody? There's just no way! _Ichigo thought. Kusaka ignored his expression and continued. "Now that the Soul Society has branded Toshiro Hitsugaya and his sister ironically, as traitors, they no longer have a home to return to. Currently, the only obstacle in my way is you. So you shall die soul reaper!" Instantly hearing Yuki's name, he snapped out of his thoughts and flew right at Kusaka. Mimicking his actions, their swords clashed and it was like a movie being played out in his head. There was fog everywhere and as it shifted along, it revealed what he assumed was a young Toshiro and who he assumed to be Kusaka. _I get it, these are memories!_ He thought. Standing apart from each other, the one he assumed to be Kusaka looked at Toshiro curiously.

"Toshiro?" Toshiro's eyes widened.

"Kusaka. But why are you-?" The scenery changed, though the two of them were still standing there. There were dark figures, sitting in a circle around them, their seats like bleachers.

"The Central 46 has reached its decision!" A booming, powerful voice said with authority. The two of them looked up in the general direction of the voice. "It is not permitted for two soul reapers to wield the same zanpaku-tou. The council has decided that the two of you shall duel. It is the only way to determine the rightful master." Toshiro looked bewildered as he looked up defiantly at the source of the voice.

"You're saying that the only way to settle this is to fight to the death?"

"It is the council's decision."

"To see who is deserving."

"The Hyourinmaru is strong and requires such a test. Consider it an honor." Toshiro kept his defiant expression.

"If keeping it means I'd have to kill my best friend Kusaka, then I'd rather surrender Hyourinmaru!"

"Absolutely not!"

"That's not an option!"

"We will not allow it!" Toshiro wasn't going to give up.

"Why can't we both wield the same zanpaku-tou?"

"It is a sacred law."

"It is has been in place since ancient times!" Toshiro looked around, looking disorientated.

"You cannot defy the law."

"Obey!" Kusaka looked around in confusion and horror.

"Do not question us."

"Our ruling stands."

"You must fight."

"Fight."

"Fight!"

"Fight."

"You must fight!" The scenery went back to the foggy field. Like he was looking through Kusaka's eyes, he looked down at his hand and arms to see them frozen and trembling. Toshiro stood, blurry in the background and with his sword drawn. Breaking the ice that incased his body, he narrowed his eyes towards Toshiro.

"Hitsugaya." Toshiro lowered his sword.

"Kusaka…" Just then, the stealth force appeared all around Toshiro. Looking around in confusion, they all drew their blades and started approaching Kusaka. "H-Hey!" Toshiro yelled, trying to get their attention. Griping his blade, he looked around in confusion.

"Why are you interfering? What's going on?"

"The council has reached the decision that Toshiro Hitsugaya shall be the one master of Hyourinmaru." Kusaka looked hurt.

"It's not over! He hasn't won yet! It's mine! I'm the rightful master of Hyourinmaru!"

"It is the decision of Central 46." The leader said as they raised their blades.

"Wait! Just give me one more chance!" A group of them surrounded him and all simultaneously stabbed him in his abdomen. Pulling away, he wildly swung at them, causing them to jump back. A group of them held Toshiro back as he tried to help his friend.

"Kusaka!" He yelled, not wanting him to vanish.

"Why have you done this?" Kusaka asked, standing defensively. "Why must I die?" Flash-stepping to his side, one member quickly slashed upwards, letting a stream of blood gush out of his shoulder. Toshiro's face reflected horror as he yelled, struggling to break free from their grips. Panting, Kusaka looked up at Toshiro, holding his sword in front of him. "I dedicated my entire life to the Soul Society." His sword vanished and he collapsed. Finally releasing him, Toshiro ran over to his dead friend. Blinking, Ichigo realized that he was back in his fight against Kusaka as their blades remained locked. Taking his free hand, he removed his mask, showing a scar on the right side of his face. Pushing Ichigo back, he sent a large amount of water towards him, pushing him further and further back. The water quickly froze into large purple-tinted ice stars that left Ichigo stumbling backwards. Regaining his footing, Kusaka appeared in front of the stars, swinging his chain. "Hitsugaya will walk the same path as I did and no one will interfere!" He yelled, pointing his sword at Ichigo, who was panting. Kaoru sliced the blue girl in the shoulder and sent her flying back with her twin, giving Kaoru a moment to check on the situation with Ichigo. The girls reappeared and Kaoru swung, but they both flipped over it.

"Will you two quit dodging my attacks and just die!" She yelled, trying to land a fatal blow. Kusaka's blade started forming the familiar purple ice and he sliced downwards. "Hyourinmaru!" he yelled, summoning the ice dragon once more. Standing his ground, Hyourinmaru quickly flew towards him, swallowing him. Heading downwards, the purple dragon crashed into the ground, forming a giant ice crystal. Kaoru looked down to see Ichigo frozen in the middle of it.

"That damn punk! I told his to be careful!" She yelled, pushing the two girls back, yet again.

"My power is growing stronger." Kusaka mumbled, pleased with the results of his attack. Putting his mask back on, he looked at the two severely wounded girls. "It's time. I'll leave the rest to you two." His voice sounding indifferent to whether they lived or died, pleasing Kaoru. Vanishing, the girls gave a simultaneous "Yes." Gripping their weapons, they readied themselves.


	7. Confrontation

**Note: Aika, I know I typed it, but I still feel bad for him….**

~Chapter Seven~

Lunging at the red girl first, she held her flame sword in defense. Easily out-powering her, she wrapped her blade around hers and pushed it downwards. Taking her leg, she sent it into her head, sending her flying in that direction. Watching her twin go flying, the blue one turned to face Kaoru, narrowing her eyes.

"These two are really starting to piss me off." Kaoru mumbles as she watches the red one stumble to her feet. Launching her electric whip at Kaoru, she easily dodges it and lunges again.

Ichigo's body remained frozen as his eyes strangely came into focus. Seeing the familiar sideways buildings, he saw a man standing on a thin pole upside down. Gathering his bearings, he realized that he was the one upside down as he propped himself onto his knees right side up.

"Zangetsu-" Ichigo said urgently.

"It's been quite a while Ichigo." He said, interrupting Ichigo's sentence.

"….What was that I saw? An illusion?" He asked quickly, confused by his sort of 'visions' during their fight.

"It is a resonance. The zanpaku-tou resonate with one another; then, the past may be revealed."

"Then…" Ichigo said with wide-eyes as he trailed off.

"Yes; it is the indisputable truth."

"Tch, so then what you're saying is that the Soul Society didn't want two Hyourinmaru! So someone had to die! Is that about it? Why the hell would they do that?"

"Because, that is the way that it has always been." Zangetsu says, jumping down from his pole. "It is the custom; in the Soul Society, the most sacred and revered of all laws is the preservation of balance." He continued, walking towards Ichigo.

"We're talking about someone's life. Doesn't that mean anything to them?" He asked angrily, looking up at him.

"Why would you ask a question like that? When a single man's life is placed in balance against the fate of the world, that life becomes insignificant. Do you think it's any different in your world?" Ichigo realized that it normally wouldn't bother him this much, but what if Toshiro had been the one killed? What would have Yuki done without him? What if that situation happened to Yuki? Zangetsu stopped and looked over Ichigo's inner world. "But still, your human parts question themselves and in time, they all become susceptible to fear and fall to the depths of evil." Was he afraid of what _could _have happened to Yuki and Toshiro? Was that the reason he found himself caught up in this?

"…No, you're wrong. We're not that weak…and Toshiro would never allow that to happen. He has a sister who needs and depends on him; he would never allow himself to live with the shame while trying to teach his sister to be a good person." Zangetsu looked over at him.

"…What makes you so sure?"

"Because…" _He started, memories of his mother yelling out to him and him waking up to her dead body on him, her blood flowing everywhere._ "…When I was a kid, I used to look at the world the same way him and Yuki did. For years after my mother died, I had so many emotions locked up inside me; it felt like I was drowning, but I didn't want to burden anyone else. They were my feelings, I was the one who had to deal with them; it was my duty to handle them alone." _As he spoke, the clear memory of him sitting by the river ran through his mind. That was the day that he took the long way home, thinking about running away because he thought that his family hated him about mom dying in front of him. Hearing footsteps, he glanced behind himself to see Yuzu and Karin running towards him, dad not too far behind._ "I was so stupid; I didn't realize that I wasn't just hurting myself, I was hurting everyone around me. Toshiro had the same look as I did back then. They're trying to bear the whole burden by themselves." Pausing, he looked Zangetsu in the eye. "I get it." Turning his head to look at Ichigo, Ichigo stood up, facing the opposite way. "That's it, right? I finally realized what Toshiro's been trying to do…and why Yuki followed him. Thanks." Dashing forward, Ichigo held his hand out, just as Zangetsu starting to turn back into his sword form.

"Once you know the truth, do not stray. Go forth, Ichigo."

Connecting back to his body, Ichigo could feel his reishi flowing again as his eyes started to glow blue. His reishi cracking the ice, it burst as he emerged in his Bankai.

"'Bout time Berry boy! Now I can kill them cuz I'm not waitin' on your sorry ass!" Causing his eye to twitch slightly, he glanced at her.

"Never asked for you to wait for me. Where's Kusaka?" Looking back at him, she gave a slight grin.

"Tch, whatever. I figured you wanted to help me kill them anyway. Kusaka got away…" She said, tightening the grip on her sword.

"Damn! Alright, we better deal with these two first, then we'll go take care of him. I know now." Kaoru looked at him questioningly. "I finally know what Toshiro and Yuki are trying to do." He said with a slight smile. The twins glared down at the two soul reapers.

"I'm surprised he's still alive after Master Kusaka's attack." The blue one said with slight disgust towards Ichigo.

"He should learn when to roll over and die." The red one said tauntingly, readying her sword.

"Maybe he needs some help." The blue one said, pointing her whip handle down at them.

"Let's do it." Glowing, the two girls lunged at them. Easily dodging them, Kaoru looked down at them as they got ready to attack again.

"I am really getting sick of these brats."

"Well, there's no time to waste." Ichigo said.

"No duh." Kaoru said mockingly as she readied herself.

"I have something that they need to hear!" He said, charging.

Quietly opening the door, they made their way into the dark room of the factory. Leaning against the wall, Yuki and Toshiro tried to calm their breathing.

"Since when did you know Bankai?" Toshiro asked quietly, holding his shoulder.

"…F-For a little while…but it's still…hard to control…" She replied in-between her pants. Standing there for a minute, she and Toshiro calmed their breathing. Taking out Hyourinmaru, he took the sash that usually kept it on his back and wrapped it around his wrist. Watching him quietly, she knew they were almost there. Starting down the stairs, they quietly descended until they reached the bottom, where it was dark and empty. Seeing only pillars, Yuki followed, glancing around for him. Stumbling forward, she bumped Toshiro, causing him to step into a puddle. Glancing down at it, he looked forward, not walking further. Widening their eyes, Yuki turned to look where Toshiro was looking. Putting her hand on her sword handle, she prepared herself.

"It took you a while, but you finally found me." Kusaka said, approaching them as he took his mask off. "I've been waiting for you."

"Kusaka!" Toshiro said with wide eyes, feeling mixed emotions about seeing his old friend. Yuki stood quietly, not interfering unless it was necessary.

"I wounded you with Hyourinmaru for a very good reason; I was sending a message." Toshiro's eyes narrowed. "What better way to tell you that I'm still alive? Do you believe it now? So, my old partner, life has certainly lead us on a strange journey to bring us to this point."

"…What do you mean?" Toshiro asked, finding his voice slightly hoarse.

"Come now, you know very well what the 13 Court Guard Squads were like. You've seen first-hand the kind of things their capable of, yet you hung around anyway. Why would you do that? Is it because you let Yuki join…how very ironic. Or is it that childhood friend of yours?" Yuki narrowed her eyes at him.

"I came of my own free will!" She spat.

"Momo has nothing to with this, nor Yuki. Now where is the Ouin?" He asked calmly, yet forcefully.

"I can clearly see that Yuki has nothing to do with it…I'm holding it right here in my hand; its power makes it the perfect tool to help us realize our dream." Opening his hand, the Ouin's light filled the dark warehouse.

"Our dream?" Yuki asked, wondering what his words meant.

"Yes." He said gleefully.

"How do you know about the Ouin's power? What are you planning to do with it?" Toshiro asked, holding his arm out protectively in front of Yuki.

"Don't get so excited…you'll know soon enough." Feeling themselves being drawn to the Ouin, Toshiro widened his eyes as Yuki grabbed his shoulder. "Now then, let's get going." Laughing, he held it up as their surroundings became a blur.

Aika nonchalantly skipped down the hall of the hospital as she found his room. Giggling, she opened the door and marched it.

"Shuu-balu! I'm so glad you're awake!" She said, pulling him into a hug.

"A-Aika! Ouch, y-you're hurting me more!" Pulling away, she smiled.

"Not to fear, Nurse Aika is here! I will nurse you back to health! Don't fear my darling!" Sighing he glanced over at Izuru, who was watching in disbelief.

"…Aika, you aren't qualified to heal me…or be my 'nurse'."

"Shuuhei, you know it's one of your fantasies, so just relax." Slightly blushing, he hung his head backwards.

"…You're impossible…you're lucky I can't move…"

"I know!"


End file.
